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For Week 12, Johnny Manziel was thrown out after he got benched for partying. Of the other two, Jameis Winston delivered a solid 15.5 points. Nothing flashy, but acceptable for a stream. Brock Osweiler was disappointing for most of the night, but saved himself with a touchdown and some decent yardage late. Still, has night wasn't quite up to the standards of what I'm looking for (15 points). Last week's column featured three young guys with youth and inexperience. This week I'll turn to veterans that have proven very reliable this season!
For this article I will look at two QBs owned in 50% or less of Fleaflicker leagues and another QB owned in 25% or less to account for the position's scarcity in 2QB leagues. There are definitely some good quarterbacks readily available if you need a stream in this week.
Standard League QB Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13
Alex Smith (KC) @ Raiders
OWNED IN: 44% of Fleaflicker leagues
Smith continues to deliver solid fantasy performances. Week 12 was his eighth straight week without a turnover. Now he gets a much much easier matchup in the Raiders. The Raiders give up the fourth most points to QBs and that continued this past week as Marcus Mariota threw for three touchdowns.
I certainly don’t expect 3 touchdowns from Alex Smith - he’s done that just once all season. What I can see happening is a repeat of last week: 250 yards, a couple touchdowns and a little bit in the rushing column. That will give you 18-20 points and a really nice stream.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ) @ Giants
OWNED IN: 30% of Fleaflicker Leagues
Fitzpatrick is coming off of his best game of the season. He threw for 4 touchdowns and no turnovers against the Dolphins. On paper, his Week 13 matchup in a quasi-home game is even better. The Giants allow the most passing yards and that trend continued as Kirk Cousins passed for over 300 yards.
Fitzpatrick probably won’t throw for 300 yards. He hasn’t done that all season. He should find himself in the 250-275 range with 2 or 3 touchdowns and an interception. Fitzpatrick is very similar to Alex Smith in a way. He’s pretty much guaranteed to hit double digits (the only game he didn’t was when he got hurt). He’s a very safe stream with upside this week.
Deeper League QB Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 13
Matt Hasselbeck (IND) @ Steelers
OWNED IN: 10% of Fleaflicker Leagues
At this point in the season, the guys still out there in deeper leagues are available with good reason. Hasselbeck is a 40 year old who hadn’t been a fantasy relevant QB (even as a stream) since 2011. Yet here he is with four starts and a 4-0 record and four double digit fantasy games. It’s strange but it’s working. If you’re desperate it’s time to give the old man a shot!
The Steelers looked like a terrible pass defense early in the season but then turned it around big time. Over their last three games, they are back to looking awful. They’ve given up 300+ yards in each of the last three games, including 372 to Johnny Manziel! And in the two games with halfway decent QBs? Derek Carr threw 4 touchdowns and Russell Wilson had 5. 250 yards and two scores seems like a pretty safe bet. 300 yards and 3 touchdowns is definitely not out of the question either. He’s got some talented receivers and they’ll be put to good use here.
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